Page 22 of Buck

“Not a moment too soon,” he said, hugging her hard for a brief moment. “Mmm, octopus and roasted red peppers with fig jam and pistachio dust. I’m going to need something more substantial than a less-than-meaty cephalopod and pistachio dust,” he said wryly, his drawl pronounced.

She laughed. “Right. Does sound a little pretentious and unsubstantial.”

“Ya think?” He grinned, his fingers sending shivers over her as he rubbed her skin. “Ah, lookee here. Steaks. Now we’re talking.” They placed their orders, and she was ravenous when the food came. Sam slipped on his jeans and bare-chested, got the cart, rolled it to the table. She had gotten up and grabbed a silk robe, tying the belt around her waist.

“So, how much time can you spare tomorrow? I’m on medical leave for two more days,” he said.

“I’m afraid I’m leaving for Los Angeles tomorrow on the train.”

He looked up and captured her with his mesmerizing gaze. “For how long?”

“Three days.”

“How about I go with you? You can do your business, and I’ll put together some sights we can see. Then dinner. Then another day. That’s if you won’t be too busy. I can be back in plenty of time before I have to report.”

The shock of his response rushed through her, and she was instantly caught up in his proposal. His amazing wit and charm, more mind-bending sex? Sign her up. She could definitely slide her meetings to the morning to spend both afternoon and evenings with him.

She sighed, grinning. “That works for me.” She was sure this was as temporary for him as it was for her. She also felt she’d have to protect her heart in the process, because she was beginning to fear this man had the ability to affect her on a much deeper level than any guy she’d dated before. And a broken heart at the end of their affair wasn’t something she wanted or needed. Aware they were both avoiding any mention of a future, which was smart, she was convinced that between the pressures of their jobs, they would eventually go their separate ways.

When dinner was done, he came to her and picked her up. It was almost as if they struck a pact not to open too many doors, and that was okay. This was too special to risk. Wanting to keep that comfortable easiness between them, she looped her arms around his neck and gave him another grin.

Then he took her to the shower where he made love to her beneath the spray in such a provocative way, she couldn’t get enough of exploring him as much as he explored her. She raised her head and kissed him along his jaw, cupping his hard, muscled ass as he pumped into her.

Nothing could have prepared her for Sam “Buck” Buckard, and she would have to go with the flow. Her thoughts scattered as she climaxed, clutching him while he lost his formidable control. She was treading on some shaky, dangerous ground, but Buck was worth the risk.

7

Katherine “Kat” Cross sat across from her husband, Orion “Wicked” Cross and pushed away her plate. Wicked looked at her and then her half-uneaten breakfast. His brows rose. “You’re not going to finish your bacon?”

She shook her head, feeling a bit off. Maybe she was working too hard.

He set down his phone and snagged the last of her bacon. “You look tired, babe. When was the last time we got away?”

She scoffed. “For a vacation. Ha, what does that word even mean?”

He smiled, crunching the last bit between his teeth. The man had the most powerful jaw and beautiful mouth. The way she felt about him hadn’t diminished one whit. “I see something tropical in our future. Let me see when we cycle out, and I can put in for some leave.”

She brightened. “Drinks with little umbrellas that are served by a pool. Count me in. I’ll check my schedule as soon as you know when.” She rubbed at her stomach, got up, and got a bottle of water out of the fridge. She leaned against the counter. “How’s it going with your new CO, Lieutenant Rodriquez?”

Wicked shrugged. “He has big shoes to fill after Ruckus and Hollywood.”

It was true. She’d recently worked with Hollywood, and the man was on top of everything. He’d once been an enlisted member of Ruckus’s team, but there were only three of the original members left in the squad. Bowie “Ruckus” Cooper had been promoted to Lieutenant Commander, Jude “Hollywood” Lock to Commander. Wes “Cowboy” McGraw had left the service a few years ago to head back to Texas with his wife, Kia, and their menagerie of animals to run his family’s ranch. Thorn “Tank” Hunt and his wife Alyssa had moved to San Antonio, Texas, to train Belgian Malinois for the military, and Ocean “Blue” Beckett had been accepted into the medical service officer program. He was a doctor now. The two remaining SEALs, Ash “Kid Chaos” Wilder and Arlo “Scarecrow” Porter were still going strong with Wicked, but she knew he missed his brothers. They were all settled. Ruckus and his wife Dana had two daughters, and Kid Chaos and his wife Piper, a girl and a boy, and she’d heard Tank and his wife Alyssa were expecting.

She and Wicked had discussed it several times, but Kat wasn’t ready. She knew he was ready—really ready to have children, but she just felt…torn. Did she want to juggle her CIA career with children, and would that even work with Wicked deploying a good part of the year? If they decided it was time, and that time was running out, she may have to do some serious thinking about her future with the agency. One thing for sure was fieldwork would have to be out.

She looked at her watch. “I’ve got to get going,” she said as she rose and kissed him goodbye.

The minute she got to work, Russ Watson, the DEA agent she was working with, caught her at the elevator. “You’ve got to see this,” he said. “We caught a break.”

She followed him to a room and when he cued up the surveillance tape, her mouth tightened. She picked up the phone and dialed. When the call went through, she said, “We’ve got a problem.”

* * *

Buck woke very early the next morning to the gray half-light before dawn, getting used to the wonderful weight in his arms before he even opened his eyes.

She had blindsided him at Windsor, taken off like a spooked horse, with his sister’s dress no less. She was an intriguing mix between tough and vulnerable. Gently catching her by the back of her head, he carefully repositioned her weight on his shoulder, flexing his fingers to work out the pins and needles. She stirred and rolled to her side. He took the opportunity to press against her from behind, his morning wood thickened and tightened, his balls throbbing. It had been a relief to finally slake the lust that had been riding him hard since he’d met her.

And if he wasn’t careful, that lust was going to overrule his common sense…maybe it already had.

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